The smell of Sunday.

Tags

beef, cancer, Cancer stories, food, happiness, hope, love, perfect

One thing I had growing up was absolutely perfect roast beef. I have tried many times to emulate my mums beef. But never could I do it, until today. See mum had been taught by the best  (grandma) all the recipes I every read recommended 20 mins per pound plus 20 mins. But it never came out succulent like my mums did. It was always chewy, and hard to digest that is until today. I finally mastered it, it seems it’s about what you do with it before hand. The temp it’s cooked on and the amount of time, all combined to make the perfect roast. 

  
It’s all about time, no good thing should be rushed. I remember walking in from church every Sunday to the smell of Sunday, the smell would stay with me forever as the smell of Sunday, as we never seemed to have it on any other day. Roast chicken was also a smell of Sunday, but sometimes we had that midweek so it never really was competition to knock Beef off of the top Sunday smell spot. Even when I smell it now I am still transported back to those times. It’s funny isn’t it how smells do that. What was it Jules said on top gear when describing his Morris minor police car. ” wind the window down 2 inches and smell through the window. Law and order 1968 right there ” you are transported back to that time in your mind. Not 1968 in this case I was just born in that year.

A friend of mine was talking about juicing the other day, he asked me for a suggestion. I said mango and strawberries. He said he could taste that in his mind, can you do that? 

  
Back to the beef, on Halloween we had a roast for lunch so we had plenty in our bellies when we went to our party. I asked the chief how to do it, he responded by saying that the key to a great roast is to seal it on all sides in a pan. Then to cook it for 3 1/2 – 4 hours on a lower heat. Like 150 degrees. I must confess though I did leave the 3 lb joint marinating in maple syrup over night. The knife just glided effortlessly through the meat when I cut it, I hope you can taste in your mind because it tasted absolutely fabulous. So what’s the point in this blog to talk to you about my beef joint? No you know me better than that by now. The point is this.

  
That good things can’t be rushed, that it’s all about foundations. Normally I would have cooked that joint for 1 hr 20 mins on a higher heat and still be chewing it now. Because as most of you know I don’t have any mowlars as most were removed for me to have a bone marrow transplant. It’s about taking your time to get things right not rushing anything. The longer it takes the better it is in most cases. My wife never speeds on the roads. She says “it’s better to be late in this life, than early in the next” 

Have a great week, and take your time.

Mark  

http://www.fonzandcancer.com
Follow me on Twitter
@fonzmark
Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. It took me an hour to write, but will take you a second to share.

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How to win the war.

Tags

change, fight, food, forwards, hope, love

I have come across many different characters in my colourful life, non more stubborn than my friend cancer. I was talking to a new friend yesterday who said something very interesting to me. He said that ” I told cancer if you kill me you’re dead too. Don’t kill me and I won’t kill you. Now that’s an interesting way of looking at it. An acceptance that cancer can live with you, but by not eating saturated fats, sugar products created by man, and processed food. Cancer does not grow, but has enough to be sustained. I don’t know if that would work for me as I prefer the eviction approach. But I guess some of you reading will relate to this brand new (for me) way of dealing with cancer. For me this way the war is never won, because everyday you have to outwit cancer. By not allowing it to have the food it craves. One slip up and it will start to grow some more.

  
My way was to totally rid my body of the disease, although now I am finding new ways of keeping cancer away. My not giving it a reason to be here at all. Cancer is not really into fruit sugars, nor is it into whole grain rice, or vegetables, ginger. It was mentioned to eat vegetables the colour of the rainbow daily. There again is another way as apposed to just as my mum says (“eating your greens”) there are so many different tasty vegetables out there. Sweet chilli, beetroot, asparagus, green beans, red,yellow,orange,and green peppers. The list is endless non needs to be boring.

  
Winning the war is about maintaining a life style that cancer hates. Cancer loves couch potatoes, it loves smokers, it loves people that do nothing, it loves fats and sweet things, it loves sweetness. It loves anything that’s not natural. 

In winning the war against cancer, we need to say “I WILL” we have to get up and go and do. Changing the way we lived and giving our bodies new foods and excercise. This does not always work in our bodies, but mainly. It’s about giving yourself the best chance at life,  whilst enjoying life at the same time. After all what’s the point in living half a life. There are many many battles that need to be won to win the war against cancer. The secret is to win each 1 before starting the next one, never looking at the que of battles just the one you are in. I say it like this on a hot sunny day, the ice cream man is always busy. The way to get through the day, is to smile at the person you are serving never looking at the que. eventually the que will be no more. You just gotta keep on doing, no matter what.

  
As rocky says, 

  
The battles I speak of are mine, the battle you have today maybe slightly different. But the ethos is the same, you will use the same ideas to get through the battle you face. Eventually winning your own war, if that be against addiction your addicted to, or something that’s addicted to your life style. They are all things that can be changed. What we say is what we are, saying I WILL, gives nothing else a chance. YOU CAN, and I hope you believe that. YOU CAN WIN. Say those words to your inner self. I gave up smoking  5 months ago and was sourounded by smokers in Turkey. That was another battle I won, you can. But you don’t know till you try.

Have a great weekend

Mark

  http://www.fonzandcancer.com
Follow me on Twitter
@fonzmark
Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else.

Respect for life.

Tags

change, food, fruit, gift, hope, life, living, love, loving, nature, Plants, remedy

As you get older, you realise how valuable life is. Yet as young people we don’t realise the value what so ever. Well I didn’t anyway. People always said to me, “eat your veg” I never did much proberbly a contribution to my cancer. 10 years ago I made no consideration to my welfare, I was not afraid of much and just did. I gave it all or nothing there was no in between. I guess I am still a little like it now, although I would prefer it if I would be more considered. 

  
Having fought for a life you learn what you need to do to preserve it, and quite obviously I do need to more careful now than ever before. When I was in Turkey feeling ill, I felt like a seal stranded on a piece of ice surrounded by killer whales. I got really scared, insecure, and sad. Because I knew I would have to go home and leave my friends. It’s a consequence of a vicious fight, that I won. The hardest fight anyone will face is to beat illness and maintain your health. It’s worth it though. As someone on Our Cancer Stories group said today, read read read. We are uneducated with regards to preventing our bodies from malfunction. 

  
If we educate ourselves surely we will higher our chances of beating disease. Trouble is you more seseptable to stuff when you have had chemo! your immune system is compromised and your much more likely to catch something else. It seems to me that plants heal you, yea I know I am sounding all hippi but I think there is some mileage in it. The fact that I came back from Turkey with a cold and it has nearly gone says allot to me. 3 days of eating greens and fruit and the lemon tonic prescribed by nurse Andie. I am starting to feel lots better and feel confident that we will be able to do and go where we need to in the next couple of weeks. 

  
For me a party is awesome, I love it. But not one that compromises a already compromised immune system.thats how I think now, it’s a change. But really there is only one word that’s changed for me, that is respect for myself. Respect for my family, and friends that I won’t put myself in a compromising situation that will make me ill again. Life is to important, it’s not a game it’s a privalage to be here. I am educating myself, helping myself to understand what things do my body good. Surely what ever is growing in the ground has the answers to restoration to our bodies. That plants have enzymes in them that would float around our blood fighting off illness. Combined with everything in moderation, we give ourselves longevity. Let me tell you, longevity is what I am looking for now. Ways to sustain me longer and help others do the same.

  
You are precious, but only you can treat you right. It’s up to you what you put in your body, I have replaced doughnuts with an interesting salad. Made from rocket leaves, sweet chilli peppers, chopped cheese, tomatoes, crayfish tails, and a bit of balsamic vinegar. Gotta be better for me as a snack, I am losing weight in the last 3 days I am not trying but cutting out bread has helped as well. It’s our choice how we treat ourselves and it’s never to late to change our habits to give us a better chance is there. 

  
Have a great week.

Mark

http://www.fonzandcancer.com
Follow me on Twitter
@fonzmark
Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else.